Task Force Sarissa
Mobilized to Demnoph in September 3200, Task Force Sarissa is a 50,000 combatants strong Deathless military force supported another 50,000 support personnel. It also serves as a test force for the potential new organization of the Deathless Army. List of Units mobilized: 1st Infantry Regiment "Stonewallers" and the 3rd Infantry Regiment "Trenchdiggers" These two regiments make up the core of Task Force Sarissa and are supported by the rest of the divisions involved. As infantry, they’ll act as the main fighting force once the initial beachheads have been taken. 9th Orbital Marines "Dimi's Dogs" The Marines Division of the Task Force serves as the tip of the spear, first, planetside they are tasked with securing beachheads for the following infantry and Armor. Second, the initial planetfall or if no opposed landing is occurring the Marines can be used as highly mobile and destructive shock troops. 1st Mechanized Siege Division “Wall breakers” Tasked with providing most of the Heavy combat support, this Division, expert in siege warfare and heavy assaults are essential in providing armored support to the infantry and marines. 4th Mechanized Artillery Battalion "Hellfire" Simple, Artillery, God’s Thunderous Roar, the Wall of Guns, the Imminent Death, etc. Support Personnel Everything that a full fighting force of Deathless mercenaries needs is provided by the support Division. Although these employees are technically corporates from the various departments, they are armed and trained in combat, but are not used in battle operations. Some SUD squads are also attached to the Task Force as “Support Personnel”. Command Structure Task Force Sarissa acts as a test force for the future of the Deathless Army’s command structure. Although separate divisions were mobilized to make this task force, they spent time prior to their mobilization in Ragnhil to prepare and adapt to the new hierarchy presented to them. In this new structure, there would no longer be a distinction between infantry, mechanized, and artillery. Instead, in a system slightly reminiscent of the Aquilan legions, there would only be one type of combat unit, with dedicated mechanized and artillery support, under the command of a single type of officer corps. No longer would there be artillery, mechanized or infantry officers, only the Combat officer would lead the Deathless in this new command structure. The role of second-in-command in each level of the unit is given to a soldier who is mentored and slated for a command position. This is to provide the Deathless with commanders who have experienced the subordinate life and to properly ease them into command positions. In some key places, elements from Project: Alexander subsection Parmenion were place to test their effectiveness in field operations. Of note is that, even though TF Sarissa follows this structure, officers retain their rank and command positions, attached to infantry/Marine units, they are technically subordinates to the CO. Higher ranked officers, from Lieutenant-Colonel, were judged qualified enough to take command of full battalions and Divisions. Command of the full Battlegroup is given to Lieutenant General Sofia “Steadfast” Dallaire, the moving force behind the potential reforms to the Deathless army. Task Force Composition With the new command structure also comes a new composition. Designed to be fully self-sufficient at a Battalion level, from the initial drop to the continued campaign, the composition of Sarissa’s battle units theoretically allows for the same results but with less than half of the necessary manpower. This, of course, has not been proven in combat against civilised opponents, but during their initial pre-deployment training on Thorg, the Task Force showed promising results, being instrumental in the destruction of the Orphans of Thorg during Operation: Silicon Valley. Basic Platoon (Pon) The basic platoon is composed of 5 basic sections, in addition, the shock support section and a Psoglav light mech outfitted with a hydra array to provide artillery support. The platoon commander is equipped with a Simargl-C pattern suit mech, allowing them for constant and instantaneous communication with their troops and chain of command. The platoon’s shock support section commander acts as the outfit’s second-in-command(2ic), and is trained in operating the command simargl should the platoon commander fall. Depending on the platoon’s mission, the Psoglav might be outfitted with varying weapons Basic Section (Son) A basic Sarissa-pattern section is composed of 5 soldiers, 4 of those, including the section’s leader, are equipped with Assault Suits and the standard issue AC-47 Mag-Rifle or equivalent personal weapon. The 5th member, the section 2ic is in a standard Zmyi Suit-class mech, providing the section with a mobile heavy weapons platform. Shock Support Section (SSon) The Shock support section acts as a platoon’s main heavy weapons platform. Composed of 4 standard pattern Zmyi mech suits, they, alongside with the other Zmyis in the platoon, effectively multiply the units force. Company (Coy) A company is composed of 5 basic platoons, one light artillery lance, 2 reconnaissance squads, 1 armored reconnaissance lance, and 2 shock support sections. The company’s commander and their 2ic are both equipped with Simargl-Cs. As such, they can share the responsibilities of commanding the company as it is spread out. Each squad or lance acts directly under the command of the company commander and are dispatched at the commander’s behest. Light Artillery Lance (LArt) Simply put, the Light Artillery lance is composed of 6 Psoglavs outfitted with Hydra Arrays, they can be dispatched to support allied platoons with artillery fire or even to assault an enemy position. Due to the versatility of the Psoglav frame, this lance may be equipped with different weapons to better suit the company’s task. Reconnaissance Squad (Rec) A Reconnaissance squad is composed of 3 Simargl-R pattern suit mechs. Outfitted with active camouflage and a complete sensor suite these squads are extremely mobile units, their MSDs allow them to outrun the enemy while shooting back as well, should they be discovered. Although the Simargl-Rs aren’t mounted with heavy weaponry, the squad is able to bring their personal weaponry, with at least one AC-K2 or equivalent sniper rifle, the other members of the squad having either I-14s or AC-47s. Armored Reconnaissance Lance (ARec) This lance, composed of 3 Alkonost light mechs, allows for the Company commander to conduct reconnaissance operations in areas where heavy resistance is expected. Their integrated communications interceptors are also vital in intelligence gathering while on the field, and thus a lance can effectively become a mobile listening post. In some cases, such as operations in mountainous or oceanic areas the ARec lance may be outfitted with Rarog pattern frames in order to properly cover the battlespace. Battalion (Btn) The Sarissa-pattern Battalion allows for complete operational autonomy from the Orbital drop to the ground campaign, of course, they are able to operate in conjunction with other battalions but they are generally expected to be able to work on their own with very little support. A battalion is composed of three companies and 1 of each Pathfinders platoon, Marines Platoon, Heavy Artillery lance, Engineering Detachment, Medical Detachment, and Heavy Support Lance. The Battalion’s command and support team is located in the Battalion Headquarters. Built by the attached support personnel it serves as a base of operation for the unit. Within the HQ a maintenance and logistics facility is operated to allow for proper running of the force’s multiple mechs. A Gamayun-Q is located within HQ to serve as a communications and ECM projection suite. All equipment in a Battalion HQ is designed to be packed up and ready to go within 2 hours, should the position be soon overrun by enemy forces. Pathfinders Platoon (PF) Pathfinders have potentially the most dangerous job in the Battlegroup. made up of 20 Simargl-E pattern suit mechs, they are first on the ground and are tasked with finding landing spots for the marines and the full invasion force. Traditionally, Pathfinders are marines who have a penchant for stealth, and their Simargl-E’s flight capabilities make for excellent reconnaissance assets, should they survive their initial mission. Marines Platoon (Mar) Second in the hierarchy of “Most casualty rates in an operation” following Pathfinders, these soldiers are given the excruciating task of clearing a landing zone for the following battlegroup. Not that they aren’t properly supported of course; a Platoon of Marines has 5 full sections of Zmyi-P pattern suit mechs and a section of 5 Nocnitsas ready to unload their railguns into the enemy, everything preceded by a healthy barrage of Tungsten rods from above. Nevertheless, it takes the most experimented and “special” soldiers to make up the marines in a Sarissa-pattern Battlegroup, hence the decision to mobilize Dimi’s Dogs instead of any other Division. Following the drop and beachhead securing Marines are excellent mobile shock troops and are quite the asset for the Battalion commander’s operations. Heavy Artillery (HArt) The Massive Rail Cannons of the 6 Svyatogor class Heavy Mechs are a sight to behold, and hell for the enemy. Mobile platforms with an effective range of 50km when in Artillery mode and a mean tungsten rod punch, the firepower brought by the Heavy Artillery allows for proper support for any Unit in the Battalion’s sector or for a concentrated shelling in conjunction with other Battalions in the Division or Battlegroup. Engineering Detachment (EDet) These specialized soldiers are essential to the proper functioning of the Battalion’s maintenance network. With their 2 Simargl-S and their 1 Gamayun-I they are able to construct bases, roads and run field maintenance and repairs around the clock. The engineers are also able to be used for sabotage and breaching operations, should they be needed. Medical Detachment (MDet) Composed of three Gamayun-S pattern light mechs, this detachment serves as a quick response medical unit. Their flight capabilities allow them to rapidly drop in and evacuate the wounded. In addition, their medical drone suites allow them to stabilize up to 20 downed soldiers within seconds, and the specially outfitted MEDEVAC passenger suites offer invaluable safe transport for the wounded. Of course, all lower-level units are trained in first aid and equipped with medical kits in the case a Medical Detachment is unable to arrive on their position. Heavy Support Lance (HSup) The armored fist of the Battalion is mighty and fearsome. Two Likho-class heavy mechs supporting one Indrik-class heavy mech multiply a commander’s force considerably, and few defences can withstand their assault. In some cases, an Indrik mech will even be dropped alongside the Marines in order to ensure crushing victory. This lance is under the Battalion commander’s orders, and is usually tasked to aid companies or is in coordination with other Lances to assault heavily defended positions. Division (Div) Simply enough a Division is made up of 5 battalions and the Division HQ. Contrary to the Battalion, a Divisionary HQ is a more permanent emplacement. Set up in well secured and defended areas, the Headquarters house support staff, a full-on spaceport for supplies, ammunitions and troops delivery, typically a full battalion is tasked with the defence of the Division’s headquarters, and they patrol the areas. Within a Division will also be located multiple SUD assets, who act in conjunction with the Division command but more often than not do their own secret missions. Battlegroup (BG) The final operational level is the Battlegroup command, 5 divisions make up a battlegroup and the commander is tasked with coordinating the operations for a sizeable sector of a planet, aided with air and orbital support for logistical and tactical purposes. With the current equipment and structure, a Battlegroup is the size of a regular division with around 10,000 combatants strong while operating on a higher operational tier. The Task Force The Task Force itself is composed of 5 Battlegroups. Task Force command is usually located in orbit and is made up of general staff and everything that they would require to properly run a planetary conquest. With the current equipment and composition, it is thought that a single Task Force arranged in that pattern could, in theory, conquer a planet, granted they have proper orbital support and only target strategic points. However it would require much more effort than simply military conquest, and victory is better assured the higher numbers you have. Use of Project Magnum Opus Assets In conjunction with the Immortal Association, the Deathless have been developing Project Magnum Opus, to develop the perfect soldiers. Battlegroup Sarissa has proven to be a perfect opportunity for field testing their human prototypes, and assets from Project: Alexander and Heracles have been implanted in certain units of the Battlegroup. Category:The Deathless